The course title is attention-grabbing and offensive, plain and simple. It would be if it was "The problem with blackness" or, even worse, "The problem with yellowness". Anyone going into contortions to rationalize or justify it is wrong.
University professors are book smart (on their subject of expertise). They are typically not well rounded, because they study and teach the same subject or set of few subjects for years and years. A common misconception is that since university professors have a PhD, then they're some kind of genius on many topics, rather than their specialty. My experience with professors is that yes, they know their topic, but they do not have a diverse set of experiences, so they are not always qualified to provide opinions on other topics. In addition, they are surrounded by extreme liberals and their viewpoints are not often challenged, leading to the liberal echo chambers I described.
I think if people want to scrutinize this course offering it should be based on its content, not the course title. The course description is here: http://african.wisc.edu/content/problem-whiteness The first paragraph explains the context of the title. It is intended, at least in part, to be ironic. From the second paragraph: "Whereas disciplines such as Latino/a, African, and Asian American studies focus on race as experienced by non-whites, whiteness studies considers how race is experienced by white people. It explores how they consciously and unconsciously perpetuate institutional racism and how this not only devastates communities of color but also perpetuates the oppression of most white folks along the lines of class and gender." I don't expect everyone will be OK with this course content. Anyone who finds the "Black Lives Matters" movement offensive will probably be offended by this course.
I find it interesting that the description already gives it away that the course even only explores one possibility - whites as perpetrators of racism. The possibility that whites could be subjected to racism by non-whites does not seem to be "explored" at all.
A university resorting to click bait classnames?! How embarrassing for anyone who goes there or obtained a degree from there.
I honestly don't think 95% of the STEM majors at the school could give any *****. They too busy figuring out multivariable calc.
alums should, to protect their degree reputation and their investment. I would be pissed if my uni was creating classes that look like buzzfeed articles and generating controversy. this is a huge slap in the face to all STEM alums and everyone else who just wants a solid reputable education. this is like a uni looking out for a select few while ignoring everyone else who keeps that place running.
Your reading comprehension is a failure. The course description mentions institutional racism. There's no examples of widespread institutional racism against whites in America.
"whiteness studies considers how race is experienced by white people. It explores how they consciously and unconsciously perpetuate institutional racism"
Not sure what your bolded part is supposed to mean. You wrote that this course ignored racism by colored people against white people. The course, though, is explicitly talking about institutional racism. Your criticism, is irrelevant because it's not what this course is about.
That must be because your reading comprehension is bad. The course is talking about white people perpetuating (institutional) racism. Also, it explicitly states that it is not supposed to be a US-centric course, but a global one. If you do not think that institutional racism by people of other colours against white people (and people of other colours) exists in the world, on a global level, then I encourage you to take a look at Mr. Mugabe.
It seems that you originally had a difficult time distinguishing between institutional racism and racism, so glad that we are finally talking about something relevant to the course at hand. I definitely agree that once you break away from US, or just simply Western Nations, the idea that institutional racism doesn't exist against whites becomes arguable. Reading the full course description on the website, it still seems primarily US-centric, with some discussion about similar levels of oppression in other countries by white people.
My entire post was about a University using Buzzfeed click bait names. What do you think? C'mon man...
I repeat the question, which "classname" are you having issues with... the ones the OP made up, or the actual classname that is the subject of this thread?
Since you're incapable yourself, the UWM course entitled "The Problem of Whiteness" is insulting, leading, insinuating, discriminatory, flagrant, inflammatory, etc.. it's also embarrassing and very similar to a clickbait title from buzzfeed.
they should unless dropping 50k+ on something that represents and identifies you isn't important to you. i didn't go there so idgaf.
